Premier Security & Fire Consultants, based on the Hainault Business Park in Ilford, was singled out for a special engagement with Britain’s top police officer, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, this week.
Premier was exhibiting part of their range of communal entrance steel doors at the Secured by Design SBDATLAS19 event in Cirencester and were the only company to meet with Commissioner Dick.
Neil Johns, Premier’s MD, spoke to the Commissioner about the company’s portfolio of more than 200 SBD steel door designs which has helped reduce crime figures by up to 87 per-cent in projects that incorporate Secured by Design recommendations.
SBD is a police initiative that improves the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.
Premier has been a driving force behind many new SBD initiatives and Neil Johns has fully embraced the scheme as part of the company’s business model.
He explained: “Ten years ago, we recognised that the UK building industry was entering a period where rigorous testing of products would become the norm, particularly when used in public and communal buildings.
“Secured by Design products demand the highest calibre of testing and certification and that is the direction we steered the company. It was a privilege to talk to Commissioner Dick about Premier and our future involvement with SBD.
“It was a great coup for us to be the only company there that she spoke to. Equally pleasing was the look on the faces of some of our competitors who were not quite so lucky to be singled out.”
SBD was created in 1989 following the housing boom of the 1960s-1980s when there was a huge and urgent demand for housing. Estates were built quickly and often cheaply without any basic security.
Burglars found externally glazed windows and doors relatively easy to enter as all they had to do in many cases was lift out the double-glazing and climb through the frame. In the wider built environment, sky walkways and subways incorporated into many large estates were designed to keep apart pedestrians and the rapidly growing number of vehicles.
However, this created a haven for criminal activities where escape routes were everywhere and anonymity was absolute. In response, the Police Service set up SBD to combat the significant rise in burglary.
You can check out Premier’s range of products on their website premier-ssl.com
PHOTOGRAPH CAPTION:
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and Premier Security Consultants’ MD Neil Johns.